Shear Connectors in Composite Beams with Longitudinally Cracked Slabs

The longitudinal shear flow in composite steel and concrete beams is transferred across the steel‐flange‐concrete‐slab interface at a discrete number of points by the dowel action of individual shear connectors. The strengths of these dowels are affected by the presence of longitudinal cracks in the concrete slab that may have been formed by transverse flexural forces in the slab or by splitting or by shear forces that are induced by the dispersal of the dowel forces into the concrete slab. Twenty‐five push specimens are tested to determine the effect of transverse reinforcement on the dowel strength of shear connectors that are embedded in longitudinally cracked concrete slabs. This postcracking dowel strength is quantified, and it is found that it is affected by the stiffness of the transverse reinforcement, but not by its strength.